RECAP OF THE FIRST CHRISTMAS STORY

Gabriel a top four angel of the Lord suddenly appears to Zechariah, an old priest in the temple who’s honorably selected to light incense. Scares the daylights out of him. Don’t be afraid. Your prayers have been answered. Zechariah doubts. Gabe makes him mute.

Elizabeth. Advanced in her years. Barren-can’t have kids. Conceives a baby. His name is John the Baptist-the forerunner to the messiah, one who would prepare the way and point people to him.

He leaps in his mom’s belly when Mary, Elizabeth’s cousin visits. Mary is a teenager, as young as 14-16yrs old. She would look more like a granddaughter than a cousin. Within her womb was the Savior Jesus. The Holy Spirit came upon her, and the power of the Most High overshadowed her. She had found favor with God and would bear and deliver the deliverer who would reign over the house of Jacob forever, and whose kingdom would have no end.

Imagine telling that to her fiancé Joseph. Perhaps more than a carpenter, a stone mason or handyman of some sort, who gets perhaps the smallest write up in the Christmas story. A humble man who was faithful to the law and obedient to following God. We know he loves Mary because upon the scandalous news he has every right according to the law to divorce her publicly. He decides to do so quietly. Until that is, an angel steps into his dream and tells him otherwise. Joseph immediately listens and obeys, becoming Jesus’ earthly, adoptive father. He would obey when taking his pregnant Mary on an 85 mile trek to Bethlehem to fulfill prophecy. He would obey again taking Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape King Herod’s plan of killing him. He would obey again to return to Jerusalem after Herod dies. The Bible tells us Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary in order to safeguard the validity of the virgin birth.

Bethlehem-The Setting.

Imagine both Mary and Joseph’s feelings when they arrive at the manger. No place to stay. They find an inn, most likely an additional upstairs room where it was common for home keepers animals also to stay. The inn keeper was not necessarily a villain, but offered what he had. Humble setting still, This is the way the messiah comes into the world? Perhaps the treasured couple still has doubts about this situation.

Validation comes when the Shepherds visit. Lowly yet not as second class in society as we might be led to think. Good chance they were taking care of special sacrificial sheep for the temple. An angel appears to them in the fields. Fear happens once again. Assurance to not be afraid is granted as characteristic of Angels once again. Great joy and good news comes. A heavenly host, multitude of angels praise “peace on those with whom God favors.” The Shepherds in the first Christmas rush arrive on the scene to find the baby Christ wrapped in swaddling cloths. They relay the good news. All are amazed. Mary ponders. The first evangelists leave that stable and cannot contain themselves from proclaiming the good news they received and REJOICED in.

A year later it’s the Magi’s turn. In the house of Mary & Joseph. They traveled far and wide, perhaps hundreds of miles to follow the star they studied in Astrology and the Old Testament. They were not kings, but well-known advisors to kings. They knew this king was the king of kings. They told Herod. The Pharisees clearly heard and even knew where to direct them, to the city of Bethlehem. But they didn’t pursue, and Herod wanted to kill. The Magi responded appropriately, they showed up with gifts and properly WORSHIPED. This group of most likely more than three, would then obey Gods orders to take a different route back home, and disobey the murderous king’s orders to return to him with news of where this child Jesus resided.

Don’t miss this, in between the accounts of the Shepherds and the Magi was Jesus’ purification ceremony. Young, new parents Joseph & Mary follow the law of Moses 40 days after her first born’s birth and bring Jesus to the temple. Along with their two turtle doves.  Those in better circumstances were commanded to bring a lamb . Interestingly, they actually brought The Lamb.

Simeon

And now we meet Simeon, a righteous man of the law. The father of Gamaliel who taught the law to the apostle Paul. He is, wise. He is experienced. He is affirmed, this baby is the messiah. He is so content, he could now die. He doesn’t need anything else in life. His salvation is what he longed for. Filled by the Holy Spirit, he exclaims,

29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.

Simeon may have been really old. He most likely witnessed and endured painful times in Israel’s history, yet still held out his hope for God’s promises. He saw Romans conquer his people. He saw bloody civil war. He saw multiple revolutions by Israelite people crushed. Yet he still believed that God was not done and had not quit on them. (Do you think God is done with you? Do you think he has quit on you?)

Why was Simeon there?

He came in the Spirit.

He was “waiting” for the consolation (encouragement, comfort, hope that God would come through) of Israel. The word that Luke uses in this passage for “waiting” is a Greek word that literally means give access to one’s self-it’s the kind of waiting you do from the deepest parts of yourself-it’s a waiting that involves a sort of pain-an awareness of our deep need for something. Simeon believed the Messiah, the deliverer, was still on his way. And in Luke 2, Simeon stands at the temple, grabs the baby Jesus, holds the promised messiah: the One through whom the world would be rescued.

He held on to hope, cuz he knew his greatest need was God ….

and now he’s literally holding on to the baby who is hope… and he knows Gods promises didn’t fail. (Do you know they never do?)

What comes out of Simeon’s mouth validates for Mary and Joseph, and those at the ceremony, why Jesus was here.

Simeon’s speech tells us two things: Jesus was born to die. And he was born to bring Light.

The rest of the sermon coming soon…